Best Holiday Lettings

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  • News: Etihad announces strongest ever 1Q results

    Etihad Airways, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary of operations, has recorded its strongest ever passenger for a primary quarter.

    The Abu Dhabi-based airline posted Q1 2013 passenger revenues of US$900 million (2012: US$758 million), a rise of nineteen per cent.

    Passenger numbers in Q1 2013 grew by 18 per cent, rising from 2.3 million to a record 2.8 million.

    The average seat factor was 80.5 per cent, four percentage points higher than the former year (2012: 76.5 per cent), despite a 12 per cent increase in capacity. The seat factor is above IATA’s current global average of 77.1 per cent.

    Etihad Cargo also had its strongest first quarter, with tonnage up 20 per cent from 85,152 to 101,776 tonnes.

    James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “Our Q1 2013 results have again outstripped global trends, with our strongest ever first quarter results for passenger revenue.

    “This performance demonstrates that Etihad Airways’ process of organic growth, wide-ranging partnerships, and strategic equity investments is delivering for us and our partners,” he said.

    Revenue from codeshare and equity partners jumped by 34 per cent from US$136 million to US$182 million within the first three months of the year and represented 20 per cent of total revenue within the quarter.

    “As well as increasing top-line revenue, our equity partnerships will improve bottom-line results, through cost savings delivered by operational synergies,” Mr Hogan said.

    Etihad Airways’ equity alliance comprises airberlin, Air Seychelles, Virgin Australia, and Aer Lingus. Each airline announced profitable results in the course of the first quarter of 2013, which demonstrates the success of this new alliance model for all of the member airlines.

    In February 2013, Etihad Airways announced a US$42 million profit for 2012 with revenues of US$4.8 billion and passenger numbers breaking 10 million for the 1st time.

    Etihad Airways’ available seat kilometres (ASKs) rose 12 per cent in Q1 2013 to fifteen.9 billion, (2012: 14.3 billion) because the fleet grew to 73 passenger and load aircraft (2012: 66 aircraft). Revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) rose 17 per cent to twelve.9 billion (2012: 10.9 billion) sharply out performing capacity growth.

    Running counter to industry trends, Etihad Cargo posted new highs within the first quarter. Volumes were up 20 per cent (on capacity growth of nineteen per cent). This was driven by a robust performance in North East Asia, combined with good growth from the Indian Subcontinent from mid-February.

    The new twice-weekly freighter operation from Houston to Abu Dhabi enhanced the consequences.

    Etihad Cargo also took delivery of a brand new Boeing 777 Freighter, which was deployed on European and African routes throughout the quarter. A second Boeing 747 freighter entered the fleet on the end of March, taking the full cargo fleet to 8 aircraft.

    Strong charter cargo results also underpinned the potential and suppleness of the freighter operation.

  • Lam takes sales role with Fairmont Hotels

    Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which counts notable hotels like Shanghai’s legendary Fairmont Peace Hotel and the recently opened Fairmont Makati as portion of its storied hotel portfolio, has named Carmen Lam as vp, hotel sales and marketing, Asia Pacific.

    Lam, who might be based in Shanghai, joins Fairmont on this newly created role to supply sales and marketing direction to Fairmont’s hotels in Asia Pacific and support to the posh operator’s burgeoning pipeline of regional development.

    “We’re quickly growing our footprint in Asia and are very fortunate to be adding a pace-setter of Carmen’s calibre to our regional management team,” said, Jeff Doane, Fairmont’s vp, hotel sales and marketing.

    “With her wealth of hotel related experience and firm understanding of the regional marketplace, she’s ideally positioned to steer our sales, marketing and branding activity throughout Asia.”

    With six hotels open and operating in Asia, including three in China, Lam will focus on maximizing results and driving performance for this dynamic mixture of resort and town centre properties.

    She’ll even be answerable for executing Fairmont’s regional sales strategy, regional brand management, and awareness and marketing activity for brand spanking new hotels including announced Fairmont projects in Jakarta, Bali and a number of other cities in China.

    Lam arrives at Fairmont having previously served as senior vp, leisure & brand sales and marketing for Hong Kong/Macau-based Melco Crown Entertainment.

    Over the process a career that has spanned greater than 20 years, Lam has also held a sequence of management positions with leading brands in Asia including roles with Shangri-La Hotels and InterContinental Hotels Group.

  • Overseas visitors to Britain’s parks and gardens spend £7.8 billion

    With the sunny weather set to continue and Britain’s gardens well and really in bloom, the national tourism agency has released research which reveals that a staggering £7.8 billion was spent by tourists enjoying a garden within the UK, with a big chunk coming from younger visitors

    A VisitBritain study identified that of the 31 million people that are likely to visit Britain annually, around a 3rd (11.1 million) enjoy a park or garden, with around 2.4 million aged between 25-34 against just 1.4 million aged between 55-64. There have been 2.1 million visits from those aged 35-44 involving parks or gardens, while nearly three-quarters of one million were aged 65+. Overall those aged under-35 were particularly prone to visit a park or garden, with 41% of visits doing so when compared with 33% of visits from those aged over 35.

    The latest figures confirm that going to a park or garden is definitely one of the leading activities for our overseas guests, accounting for 36% of all visitors, placing only behind eating out, going to pubs and shopping. It means visitors are surprisingly prone to spend time in a park or garden than a museum, castle, historic house or art gallery.

    Over half all ‘holiday’ visitors (54%) explore our green surrounds every year, a good indication that admiration is growing the world over for Britain’s attractive scenery and wonderfully crafted gardens. It remains an activity which visitors can enjoy whatever their age group, from Bodnant Gardens with spectacular views across Snowdonia to the intriguing Muncaster within the Lake District or the realm famous world-famous historic gardens at Inverewe within the Scottish Highlands. London has also just celebrated 100 years of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and is home to 8 Royal Parks and the globally acknowledged UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kew Gardens.

    Unsurprisingly the preferred time of year to go to gardens is the summer months, with July to September accounting for 4 million of the once a year tally. Against this, just 1.6 million visited gardens within the first quarter of 2011.The explanation visitors come here plays a powerful role in determining what they do during their trip with tourists on ‘holiday’ making up the majority of visits (6.4 million) followed second by those here to determine their family and friends (3.2 million).

    The French, as our largest market, appear to prefer our parks and gardens over some other country with 1.25 million visits, spending £406 million inside the process. Visitors from America are second within the table with 1.23 million visits, but they spend nearly triple the quantity of the French during their visits, at around £1.1 billion. Completing the head three are the Germans, 1.15 million were enchanted by our array of natural beauty and in addition spent more within the UK than top placed France at £629 million.

    Looking at length of stay and propensity to go to a garden produces similarly interesting results. We discovered that most of visits are by those holidaying in Britain for between 1 and three nights, but that the longer the duration of stay, the greater the chance of a trip to a garden, with 56% of 15+ night stays including time in a garden or park.

    The Brazilians (61%), Russians (51%) and Chinese (45%) have many of the highest propensity to go to our gardens than any market, which shows the growing and prominent interest from Britain’s increasingly important BRIC markets.

    Recent post-2012 Olympic Games NBI research seems to back up the claim that our parks and gardens are as popular as ever. In a study where Britain’s ‘Overall Nation Brand’ and ‘Welcome’ saw significant improvements, much was also said about tourists now eager to see ‘more than simply London’. A staggering 75% of respondents internationally agreed that the Games coverage made them desire to venture out and make an effort to go to other parts of the rustic. In a separate question a major 70% of respondents claimed that once watching the Olympics, they agreed that Britain had ‘lovely countryside’.

    In an Ipsos MORI study for VisitBritain in 2013, work was done to evaluate the impact of Britain’s GREAT image campaign the world over. Findings indicated that the activity helps showcase the full of england. Across all the survey cities, many respondents strongly agreed that the promotional work made them wish to visit places outside of London, and to enjoy our natural scenic beauty.

    Sandie Dawe, Chief Executive of VisitBritain said: “We’ve completed three big pieces of study which all indicate that our parks, gardens and natural beauty are a valuable tourism asset, admired internationally and enjoyed by our visitors.

    “It’s hugely encouraging to look our gardens are as well liked by the more youthful generation as they’re with 55-plus age groups. Post-Games perceptions of england have shifted for the easier and time spent in any of our glorious parks is something to be cherished- especially when the sun is out.”

  • News: Starwood Hotels to open 50 new hotels in Europe in next five years

    Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced plans to open 50 new hotels in Europe over a higher five years, increasing its European hotel portfolio by 30%. This year, Starwood will open nine new hotels around the continent, primarily in fast-growing markets, a key focus of Starwood’s long-term development strategy in Europe. Collectively, Starwood and its partners are making significant investments to revive and enhance a number of the company’s most iconic European hotels.

    This year alone, the corporate will open nine new hotels in established in addition to fast-growing markets which include Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Turkey. Highlights include, three new hotels in Turkey, an Aloft and Sheraton in Bursa in addition to further new Sheraton hotel inside the city of Adana. Further new openings include Sheraton Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport in July and the addition of the distinguished King George Hotel in Athens to Starwood’s Luxury Collection portfolio.

  • News: IMEX Association Day programme announced

    With the international, award-winning meetings, incentive travel and events industry trade event, IMEX in Frankfurt, just two months away, the IMEX Group has announced the entire education line-up for its hallmark Association Day, which occurs on the Messe Frankfurt Congress Center on Monday 20th May.

    This year’s programme have been devised in consultation with association executives, lots of whom have attended IMEX Association Day formerly. The result’s an afternoon of pro education, discussion and networking that addresses association professionals’ most necessary issues from the association perspective – focussing on case studies and group discussion. The sessions also take the overarching theme of ‘innovation’ for the primary time.

    Rich and sundry – 10 seminars across 3 tracks

    Following a networking lunch, the 300 delegates could have a call of 10 education sessions which occur across three separate tracks to mirror the differing roles and responsibilities of the Association Day audience: ‘Executive’ (targeting strategic development issues); ‘operations’ (specializing in logistical issues) and ‘meetings’, a good way to treat implementation and delivery challenges. Speakers were drawn from a various group of association executives, in addition to reflecting the worldwide nature of the audience.

    The first executive track session will see Willis Turner CAE CME CSE, CEO, of Sales & Marketing Executives International, Inc. discussing “The quest for relevance: Free is a business model”. Turner will address the thorny problems with member subscription rates and attrition, long-term value and ‘fear’ of competition. Following him may be Carla Nagel, Director of the Neuromarketing Science & Business Association, who will explain how she developed a method for a brand new field by making the most of her online skills and open-minded attitude. Since she seriously is not an association manager by experience, Nagel’s session is determined to present a fresh tackle “How to develop an association inside the digital age.”

    In the primary operations track of the day, Kevin Novak, Vice chairman of recent Business Development and Digital Strategies for the yank Institute of Architects (AIA), will share his expertise on “Virtualizing and Hybridizing your Events for Greater Impact and Participation.” Jointly “Innovative Ideas for Growing an Association” would be presented by Ajay Kakar, President Elect and Vice chairman of the Indian Academy of Aesthetic and Cosmetic Dentistry and International Academy of Periodontology.

    Lady Gaga’s intriguing contribution

    Elsewhere within the afternoon’s intensive programme, other sessions will include: “Marketing like Lady Gaga”, by Sheri Jacobs, CAE, President & CEO of Avenue M Group (an ASAE devised session); “Sustainability and Growth of Congresses in Difficult Times” by Davi Kaur of the ECCO European CanCer Association and, within the meetings track, “How to apply different models for evaluating your event”, for you to be moderated by Martin Sirk, CEO of ICCA. Also within the meetings track, William Thomson, Founding father of Gallus Events and Jo Lewis, Sponsorship Manager for The British Dietetic Association (BDA), will co-present a case study on how a brand new client brief – “create. excite. innovate” – generated a totally different technique to the association’s events. The meetings track rounds off with Sherrif Karamat, CAE, and Chief Operating Officer of PCMA, giving his perspective on “Innovative Delivery in Meetings and Events.”

    Speaking in regards to the quality of this year’s Association Day programme, IMEX Group CEO, Carina Bauer, explains: “I am delighted that, especially during the last two years, we have now been ready to devote new resources and fresh direction to Association Day, making it an excellent more valuable element of our extensive education offering for the show. The one way for the sphere to flourish and grow is thru empowering and educating people who work inside it. IMEX is incredibly pleased to be a part of this ongoing effort by providing a single day of free professional education of the very best quality, and likewise bringing together association executives for important networking and relationship building.”

    15 round-tables are icing at the cake

    The 2013 Association Day will finish off with a call of 15 facilitated round-table discussions, including: ‘Entering New Markets: Keys to Success’; ‘Membership Recruitment and/or Retention Tactics’; ‘Social Media & Viral Marketing’; ‘Conference VAT’ and ‘The art of successful bidding.’ These small facilitated group discussions also act as a networking opportunity, moreover the networking breaks scheduled in the course of the day.

    Finally, and as tradition now has it, Association Day will lead to a ‘doors open’ evening reception on the Westin, that’s open to IMEX exhibitors who’re also members of the organising associations. This permits suppliers the danger to satisfy, network and do business with the association buyers who attended the sooner event.